“I had a white suit made in 1960, started wearing it in January – and found it annoyed people tremendously. It’s kind of a harmless form of aggression.” Tom Wolfe

The Devil and Saint Sandra

The Devil and Saint Sandra

Let me be clear: New feminist heroine and Rush Limbaugh victim Sandra Fluke has every right to go before a group of Democrats and the media to talk about whatever she wants.

But after days of wall-to-wall media coverage and yesterday’s political talk shows where everybody but the janitors were vigorously encouraged to condemn Rush Limbaugh (and of course, all complied), you’d think someone would have looked into Sandra Fluke’s background if only to uphold the journalistic value of what is called “full disclosure.” Full disclosure means that any person who expresses his or her opinion in a public forum is to be fully identified, especially if that person has a specific interest in the subject discussed.

Up until today, I was led to believe that Ms. Fluke was merely an ordinary law student who, because she is a woman and a student, is burdened by the high cost of birth control pills. Why did it take so long for any of the media to reveal the following?:

…The 30-year-old student who stirred the debate is no novice in the political arena. Fluke has a long history of feminist advocacy: The Washington Post reported Fluke entered Georgetown Law well aware that the school’s insurance plan did not cover contraception, only to spend the next three years lobbying the school to change its policy.

Fluke attended Cornell University from 1999-2003, where she received a B.S. in Policy Analysis & Management and Feminist, Gender, & Sexuality Studies.

While at Cornell, Fluke’s organized activities centered on the far-left feminist and gender equity movements. Fluke participated in rallies supporting abortion, protests against war in Iraq and efforts to recruit other womens’ rights activists to campus.

During that period, she gained experience engaging in disputes concerning abortion with religious organizations.

“We feel that the information [Cornell Coalition for Life] has out is reactionary, and it’s not based on giving people information about their choices, but manipulating their emotions,” Fluke, then the treasurer of Students Acting for Gender Equality (SAGE), told The Cornell Daily Sun during a protest of a pro-life display at the school’s Ho Plaza. “We want to show people they should have a choice about a decision this important and whatever choice they make, we’ll support it,” she said.

After college, Fluke soon settled in at Sanctuary for Families in New York City, a nonprofit organization devoted to domestic violence victims. Fluke stayed there until she began law school in 2009.

Not that there is anything wrong with devoting your life to feminist causes, but what about the public’s right to know? I’m only asking.

So why didn’t David Gregory, the Grand Inquisitor of Meet the Press , ask the egregious Debbie Wasserrman Schultz about Ms.Fluke’s long-time devotion to the feminist cause and why did he exhibit none of his usual “curiosity” about Fluke and Wasserman Schultz’s spurious claim that birth control is “expensive”?

I have never purchased birth control pills, so I consulted those more learned than I:

…As John McCormack pointed out in The Weekly Standard, generic Ortho Tri-Cyclen costs $9 at the Washington, D.C. Target store, or $297 for the 33 months of law school. This is 90 percent less than the $3,000 three-year cost that Ms. Fluke cited in her testimony.

Birth control pills cost about $15–$50 a month. They may be purchased with a prescription at a drugstore or clinic.

Visit a Planned Parenthood health center, a clinic, or a private health care provider for a prescription. Your health care provider will discuss your medical history with you, check your blood pressure, and give you any other medical exam that you may need. If you need an exam, it may cost about $35–$250.

Planned Parenthood works to make health care accessible and affordable. Some health centers are able to charge according to income. Most accept health insurance. If you qualify, Medicaid or other state programs may lower your health care costs.

Call your local Planned Parenthood health center to get specific information on costs.